Rune Factory 4: Like a Family
by Winter's ice
Summary: Lest hated the cold. He hated how both inside his home and outside of it, he couldn't escape the accursed weather. All because of that stupid opening for Venti to fly out of and the lack of doors. That was why he started up a conversation with Frey about how they needed to get a proper roof. Along the way, they both agreed that sleeping with Venti to stay warm was a great idea.


** So, it has been awhile since I've written something for **_**Rune Factory**_**, and I wanted to write something funny and cheerful. I couldn't decide between using Frey or Lest, so I just decided to use them both. So in this they are twins. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!  
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><p><strong>Date Published: 14/15  
>Word Count: <strong>**5,114**  
><strong>Page Count: 8<br>**

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><p><strong>Like a Family<strong>

If there was anything that Lest hated, it was the cold. The frigid air hitting against his body without a sense of remorse. His hands going numb while he was farming or fighting against monsters. The amount of injuries he would sustain via frozen hands and the seemingly never ending usage of potions. That didn't count his continuous visits to the clinic, and his wallet taking almost as much damage as him. He hated it all, and couldn't wait till spring arrived in the small town. So that was why he always enjoyed the idea of going back to the castle to warm up his body and not worry about losing any more of his and Frey's hard earned cash.

Too bad though the castle was always freezing cold thanks to the opening in the main entrance for Venti to fly out of. Besides that, the lack of doors to prevent the cold air from circulating through the castle didn't help either. Thanks a lot random person who designed the place. You did a great job!

When Lest reached his home late that evening, he couldn't help but sigh. Cold air was all over the village, and it was only the beginning of winter. He didn't want to know how much worse it could get. He examined his home, pondering if sleeping in his room was any better than sleeping out in the cold. He sighed again, knowing that at least in his room there were warm blankets to curl up with. He then noted that the light was on in the siblings half of the castle as usual, so at least he could complain to Frey about his problems.

"Seriously, why can't we get a proper roof installed? I'm freezing in here! I can't tell what's worse, being in here or out there!" yelled Lest as soon as he walked into the room he and his sister had once shared when they first arrived on top of the dragon. Back then, the only room available was meant to house one person, not two. After a few days of sibling bickering of who would sleep on the floor and on the bed, they managed to afford a separate bed thanks to a traveling peddler. Which was nice considering he somehow always managed to get stuck on the floor like a pet. Even so, it was still awkward when he would accidently walk on her changing (and sometimes vise-versa) because the place lacked any doors. Seriously, did the guy who created the blueprints have a vendetta with doors? Did they ever try to kill him or something? Or did he just crash into them all the time?

"I know Lest, but what can we do about it? If we put in a roof, how would Venit leave?" replied Frey who was sitting on her bed, her body covered with a fluffy blanket. She obviously wasn't enjoying the cold either despite her warm winter pajamas and blanket, but was doing her best to put up with it. As usual, she had stayed up late to make sure he actually managed to get back home in one piece. She had always insisted on staying up late, saying she wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't know where he was. She was always worrying over his wellbeing and what not; acting like he couldn't take care of himself. At times it did bother him, but when she would be out late, he found himself doing the same thing. So he concluded it was just another thing he could add to his list of sibling antics.

After some time of living in the castle, the two made enough money to build another room where Lest resided in. Though that did lead to some space issues with their equipment and most of it being shoved into his room for whatever reason. Something about a girl needed more room for her things or whatever. Anyway, Frey's room wasn't much different than his in terms of the design. With the exception of the few plushies she had here and there, they looked identical. Oh, and the lack of any doors. Why the carpenter didn't install any was beyond his understanding. Did he need to put in a special order just for them? Was there some sort of law that outlawed doors in homes in the country or something? Where the designers just too lazy to make doors or something?

"I don't know, can we find a way to install a roof that opens up and closes on command? Say, we would just need to push a button and it would allow the roof to open up and then close?" he responded in a softer voice than before as he walked over to her, sat down, and took some of the blanket for himself. He then positioned himself so their shoulders where touching, "Even with this blanket you're freezing Frey," he spoke with concern.

"Yeah, why else would I be shivering with a blanket on? I feel like getting a bunch of woolies and cuddling up with them," she responded in a playful tone. Though he could totally see her sleeping with the few woolies they had in the barn. Even he would try it, though the barn wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep. She then quickly changed her position so she could move her arms within the blanket and wrapped them around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder, desperate for more warmth. It wasn't like he was a heater, especially considering his body was still cold thanks to the cruel weather.

"Do I look like a wooly to you?" he chuckled, unfazed by how close she was. For some siblings, having them hanging over all you would be annoying or odd. Especially considering how some people hate others getting into their little personal space bubble. For those two though, it didn't faze them one bit. They shared the same blood (at least they believed they did) so it wasn't a problem. As long as no one-mainly Vishnal and his wild imagination-got the wrong idea about them, they wouldn't have a problem.

"No, but right now I just need something to help keep me warm. Though you're not the warmest thing in the world. Maybe I should go and see of Vishnal is awake and cuddle up with him? I'm sure he's warmer than you are," she replied in a mischievous manner. If there was anything Frey enjoyed doing, it was teasing him about doing something with one of the eligible bachelors of the town. She just loved seeing him being an overprotective brother.

"As your brother I refuse to let you cuddle up with anyone except for me and any of the girls," he responded in a serious manner, "Unless you're completely serious about someone and married to him, I won't allow anything incident to go on under this castle's roof."

"Bro, weren't you the one who was just complaining about not having a proper roof in the main entrance and now you're using it against me?" asked Frey while trying to let out any small laughs, "Why is it fine with you if I do it with any of the girls though?"

"Well, I do like you and Meg as a couple for some odd reason," he joked to her. Those two did have a close relationship, and anyone could say it was just the elf giving the younger girl a helping hand. In all seriousness he just found it normal for females to be overly touchy feely with each other for whatever reason.

"Fine, then I ship you with Vishnal," she replied with the same playful tone. The two would sometimes have these playful conversations that never really got anywhere. It was their way of having fun and getting a good laugh at whatever the other one would come up with.

"I thought you liked me with Clorica? Plus, don't you find it odd that I just banned you from cuddling with him and the next second you go and tell me you like me with him. I sense someone isn't going to be very faithful," he replied with pure sarcasm, "I'm worried about your future husband and children. As a brother and a future uncle."

"How about a three some then Brother? It wouldn't bother me in the slightest. You can even be on top if you want!" joked Frey, laughing into his shoulder while speaking. Sometimes when they joked around, she just couldn't figure out where her brain decided to run off to. At least it would always end in some sort of laughing fit. Plus it was always funny to see how he would respond to her random thoughts

"No thanks, I'm good Sister. Once you're married, you can keep Vishnal all to yourself. I want nothing to do with it," he replied in a completely serious tone. He just got that imagine in his head, and he seriously felt disgusted with himself for even thinking that.

"I thought you had a thing for butlers?" she replied, taking note of his interest in the female butler. Granted, he did say he found her adorable, and her clothing attire had absolutely nothing to do with it. Though she also took note to not believe everything he said.

"That just applies to Clorica alone thank you," he said seriously. He had no butler fetish. None what so ever; the purple haired girl was just adorable. Like a little puppy that he couldn't just leave alone, and he just loved the way she pouted. Her wearing a female butler uniform had nothing to do with his infatuation with her. None at all!

"How about we let his hair down and I give him some make up?" retorted Frey, who really did want to see Vishnal with his hair down. She really wanted to style his hair, 'cause she could only take seeing his little ponytail for so long before getting tired of it. Though, she just wanted to play with it like a cat going after yarn.

"My answer is still no Frey. That isn't going to change."

"You're no fun Lest."

"Weren't you going to say something about our roof dilemma?" he asked, trying to get her back onto their original topic. If the conversation went on for any longer, he wouldn't know what she would try to do. When Frey set her mind onto something, she would find some way to do it. Even if it meant embarrassing him to no end. Though that is what sisters are for.

"Alright then, back to our serious conversation," spoke Frey with a little disappointment seeping through her voice, "I doubt roofs like that even exist. It would make our lives easier, but have you ever heard of roofs that just open up with a button? The architect did what he could with the situation he was given. It's not every day someone has to build a house that includes a dragon. It's not like she could just transform into a mini-dragon and live with us as a pet."

"Mini Venti?" Lest mumbled to himself while imagining the almighty creature as an adorable smaller version of herself. She would certainly be soft with all of those feathers on her wings. Perhaps she would just abandon her scales and turn into something completely fluffy? She could even rest on his head if she wanted to. Though she would probably yell at him for telling her to do so, "That would be adorable!"

"Yeah. It would be cute to have a plush sized Venti floating around the castle. Not only could she go out the front door, you could sleep with her!" replied Frey imagining sleeping with a mini Venti. Not only would they be able to have a roof, she would be even cuter than she is currently. Plus she couldn't help but mentally laugh at how Lest had a thing for cute things. Maybe he doesn't have a butler fetish, but an anything adorable fetish?

"That would make life so much easier if she was tiny. If she got mad at one of us, she wouldn't be able to do anything," spoke Lest lowly, "Anyway, you've seen the machines created by the Sech Empire, who's to say they don't have mechanics who could build us something that could open and close with a push of a switch?" he asked seriously. They had both traveled close to and into their territory before and saw the machines they created. They were things they both never thought could exist. Though it wasn't like they ever had the chance to actually examine the items due to them trying to kill them and shove them off of high platforms. When they did beat the killing machines, they just transport to somewhere, more than likely back to home to be fixed up before being sent out to be used again.

"You have a good point, but do you seriously believe we could find someone from Sechs and ask them to help us out? I'm sure Norad and them don't have the best relations, so I doubt they would be willing to travel here. It's not like we could pay them for their travels, we don't even know what type of currency they use," replied Frey with a sigh. There was just so much they didn't know about their neighboring country. If only they had more background info.

"We could always take one prisoner and demand him to help us out," chuckled Lest. He knew what she said was true. The two countries, one that lived off of magic and the other off of technology, had never been on the greatest terms. The chance of finding any of these talented people wouldn't be much of a problem if they traveled to the country, but taking one back with them was another story entirely.

"Then what would we say? Halt, if you don't come back with us and help us with our roof problem, we'll turn you into a wooly!" giggled Frey at the image of one of them saying something extremely silly. The two would never injure an innocent bystander, so a threat wouldn't really work. They insisted on helping people, not kidnapping and threating them. The only time they would raise a weapon at another person was if they had no other choice.

"Sure, why not? They don't use magic like us, so it wouldn't be like they would know if we were bluffing," he replied with a tone mixed between serious and kidding, "We could say they would be turned into a golden one and for the rest of their life be hunted down for their rare fur?" From what they had learned (or possibly relearned) was that the people in Sechs didn't use magic. That through science they advanced their society. So one could assume they knew little to nothing about it. Much like they have little knowledge about the machines their military seemed fond of using against them, and all other sorts of gadgets they had.

"I have trouble believing that would work Lest," respond Frey, "If I lived in a place where gigantic machines are roaming around freely thanks to science, and can fire bullets at anyone that gets near it, why would I believe something that silly?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who came up with that idea!"

"Well, you did go along with the little idea Bro."

"Oh shut up Sis."

While the two were enjoying their sibling banter, a sudden gust of frigid air surged through the opening that lead to the fields. Now that was just another problem they had with the lack of doors. In the spring and fall it was rather chilly, but it was manageable. While in the summer it was actually a nice aspect, but in the winter it was horrible. How Frey could sleep in a freezing cold room that had air coming in from all over went well over his head.

Then that brought up another interesting thought, how did the butlers put up with the cold? The butler quarter was basically the same, yet the three never showed many problems with the cold. Clorica loved the cold because it helped her sleep. Vishnal didn't enjoy it, but had put on a strong face and believed that it was just another trial of becoming a true butler. While Volkanon, he never seemed to be fazed by the weather, any weather in fact. It was as if the cold had no effect on him at all. Perhaps after spending so many years as a butler, becoming immune to the cold was a special ability or something? Or did he just have some special charm equipped that made him resistant to bad weather?

"For the love of things in this world, why can't we have anything to keep the cold out?" mumbled Lest while looking up at the ceiling, "We spend our days farming, fighting, creating new equipment and medicines, while also taking care of the residents of this town. Is it so hard to ask to have something to keep the cold out?"

"Well, we could always try sleeping with Venti," spoke Frey simply. Her brother looked down at her, giving her a quizzical look. It was telling her to continue on with whatever theory popped into her head, "She never seems to be cold, even though she's the one has to deal with the open roof and the door to the fields. So her feathers and scales must keep her really warm since she doesn't seem to mind the weather, even when she's getting snowed on."

"Isn't she a reptile though? That means she has no body heat, right?" asked Lest. That was something that had bothered him for a while. If dragons are like reptiles, they must hate the cold. Yet Venti never says anything about the weather. If she did, they would have designed the room so she would stay warm and still be able to leave.

"Well, she is a Native Dragon. So maybe it's a special case?" replied Frey. She too didn't have any explanation for that. All she could think was because she was a wind dragon, it didn't affect her in the same way it would on Fiersome. There is Aquaticus, who would go against all reptile logic considering he is a water one.

"Well, that could work. Since we are no dragon experts, all we can do is speculate about how things go. Though that's a good idea Frey," he spoke while sitting up from her bed. They may not have an explanation for how she stays warm but oh well. If she was warm, she could warm them up. Plus, sleeping with her sounded fun, "Why don't we just go and give it a shot?"

Frey just nodded her head and followed her brother into the main chamber where the dragon lived. She was resting her large body downwards on the floor below, completely unfazed by the cold air surrounding her. Often they couldn't tell if she was sleeping, or just laying down and relaxing. The twins walked up to her, and lightly Frey asked, "Venti?"

The dragon quickly opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. She would normally have her guard up, but because it was just those two, she didn't see the need to. Somehow these two, who just fell on top of her out of the blue one day, managed to get her to show her softer and friendlier side. The part of her that was always there, yet kept hidden because she didn't want anyone to get to close to her again. She didn't want anyone else to become like the guardians that sacrificed their lives for her. Even so, not only did these two managed to save them, they also made her life happier.

"What is it you two? Did one of you find something you had to discuss with me?" she asked seriously while raising her body upwards. She towered high above them, yet neither of them ever seemed to be afraid of her. Not even when they met.

"No, we wanted to know if we could sleep with you," spoke Frey simply while giving her a soft smile.

"Is that so?" responded wind dragon in a surprised tone, unsure of how she should respond. Not once had anyone asked to do anything like that with her, "Why though? I'm sure your beds would be softer than sleeping on the floor with me. Even more so, what brought this on all of a sudden?"

"You know how much I hate the cold," spoke up Lest, "So Frey thought that since you don't seem to be bothered by it, you must have a way to stay warm. So we decided that if we want to stay warm and snug it be best to sleep with you. You don't mind, right?"

"Well no," she began while looking over to the butler quarter, "What would we do when the others woke up and saw you two curled up with me?" It wasn't like she was against the idea. She was actually touched by the sibling's feelings. It's not every day someone would walk up to her without any fear of getting crushed underneath her wings because they wanted to sleep with her. Sure, they wanted to be warm, but they wouldn't have asked if they didn't care about her. No, they wouldn't have done everything they had done for her if they didn't care.

"Come on Venti. You know everyone here loves you, no one is going to care. I'm sure Vishnal and Clorica would love to try to take a nap with you!" replied Frey with a brighter smile. Everyone in the town loved her, well before she started to act more lively around the others. Something as trivial as sleeping with her wouldn't bother anyone.

"That is true," replied the dragon. Everyone cared about her, though being teased by someone from the butler's quarter didn't seem very enjoyable. Even so, they both seemed rather adamant about staying with her for her body heat.

"Come on Venti, don't tell me you're embarrassed about it," teased Lest lightly with a small chuckle, "There isn't anything to be embarrassed about, we're like a family after all."

"That's not it!" bellowed the dragon, though she knew that was enough to give it away. She only used her serious voice when she was around people she didn't want to know she was really nice, or when something got her worked up. Though hearing Lest say they saw her as family did make her smile, humans normally wouldn't say something like that to a dragon that could kill them by simply sitting down on them. She knew they were serious about it, they had done so much for her and everyone else in Selphia, and at this point it would be odd if the duo didn't love their new home and the people within it.

They both laughed happily at her that time, which resulted in her letting out a low pitch, non-threating growl. She lowered her head down for a moment before responding, "Alright you two. You can sleep with me, but if other people find out about it, you two are getting punished." Not like she would actually do it though. She would nag them about it for a while.

"Yes, thanks Mom!" joked Frey happily.

"Yeah, you're such a great Mom!" said Lest in the same fashion.

"What are you talking about?!" asked Venti surprisingly, trying to keep her voice down so she wouldn't awaken the other three residents of the home. The two both walked up to her and leaned their backs against her large stomach. Then in unison they both turned their heads up to her with bright smiles on their faces and their reddened cheeks.

"You treat everyone in this town like your family," started Frey, "You would do anything for the people in this town, and you're always scolding someone if they do something foolish. You don't do it because you want to be mean, you do it because you don't want anyone to get hurt and because you like to worry. Oh, and you don't want to be alone, so you scold them so they come back in one piece. Though that usually proteins to me and Bro."

"Yeah, sometimes your worrying could be taken as nagging, like how you didn't want us to save you and what not," began Lest, "That's why you're like a mother. We can't remember anything about our family, but you give off the vibe of a mom. Always worrying over her precious children, and putting their safety before her own."

"Though sometimes the kids don't listen because they worry about her a little too much about her. Plus, they like to do things their own ways, even if it's reckless and foolish," added in Venti, who was truly touched by their words, "Then they forget to think about themselves and the people who love them. So they just end up making others worried about them because they were too busy worrying about someone else."

"We know!" they both stated in unison, bright smiles on their faces and their eyes gleaming from the moonlight that was coming through the opening in the ceiling that brought forth this whole conversation. Funny how a simple complaint lead to the whole situation.

"Really you two," spoke Venti with a soft smile over her face. She had a warm feeling spreading throughout her stomach, and not because of the two small bodies leaning against her. These two have done so much for her, for everyone in this town. They have put their life on the line again and again. No matter how many times she tells them to be careful and not do stupid things for her sake, they still to it anyway. The two, be them blood related or not, are always worrying about her and the town and vice versa. In the end, they really are like a family, "Just go to sleep alright? I don't need to hear that one of you got hurt fighting because you were up all night talking with me."

"Okay!" they yet again stated in harmony, still smiling happily at the dragon that meant so much to them. Venti then folded her wings around the two, her brightly colored feathers covering their bodies in a both warm and protective way.

They certainly are like a family. Everyone in the town is. Even if they have no blood connection, even if the siblings really aren't siblings, even if she's a dragon who has lived for a very long time, they were still together. They would live like this, caring about each other for a long, long time. Then she would cry, knowing that one day their happy life together would end, like everything must. Even so, after they are gone, she knew that they would always be a family.

A family of a dragon who wanted to protect the town, two humans who wanted to do the same for her and the whole town of Selphia. That's the type of family that doesn't need to be related to be a family. All that mattered was that they all loved each other like a blood related family, and was willing to do anything for each other.

"Goodnight you two," spoke Venti softly as she closed her eyes. She wasn't fond of sleeping upwards, but that was alright. She was doing it for those two after all. It might not be much, but it was a way to repay them for all the things they had done.

"Goodnight Venti," spoke Frey.

"Yeah, nigh Venti. Thanks for being so warm and fluffy," said Lest.

Then they recited in harmony, "And we love you too."

"Thank you," responded Venti who truly enjoyed those words, "I love you two too."

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><p>When morning came, the three of them where still sleeping together. The siblings smiling happily, obviously very warm while leaning against the dragon. So when Volkanon walked into the main hall of the castle, he couldn't help but smile. It was a wonderful sight, to see them all so very happy together. Even Venti was smiling happily in her sleep.<p>

When the butlers in training walked in, they too where both surprised at what they saw before them. Not once had they thought that the once serious and always on guard dragon could allow herself to be seen with two people wrapped around her wings so protectively. Though they too were happy to see such a serene scene.

"Do you think we could sleep with her one day too?" asked Vishnal with a light smile to the older man, "They certainly look very comfy with her, and very warm."

"I would like to sleep with her too," spoke Clorica lowly as she rubbed her eyes, "Though I don't know if anyone would be able to wake me up later."

"I'm sure she would love to," spoke Volkanon with a smile, "After all, we are all very important to her. Vice versa as well of course."

"You know, I never thought Lady Ventuswill would ever do something like this. She was always so distant to us, yet now she seems so happy," spoke Vishnal, who was thinking back to his own experiences with the wind dragon. When he first arrived, she seemed so far away. As if no matter how hard he worked, she would never speak to him from her true personality. That she would always be distant for some reason or another. Now though, everything is different.

"Yes, how things have changed," spoke the older man who moved his eyes towards the twins, "It's all thanks to them. They brought out a lively and happy personality out of Lady Ventuswill. No matter how abrasive their actions are, Lady Ventuswill will always look at them as the precious people that wanted to protect her with their very being, like she did for us all."

"Then there is us. Even though we didn't do much, we still would do our very best to protect her too," added in Clorica, who was still rather sleepy.

"Yes. That's just how things are in this town. Everyone wanting protect each other like a family," spoke Volkanon happily, "No matter what will come, everyone will stand side by side to protect the town and people they love. Especially those two. Even if they may end up doing something stupid and get scolded for it later."

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><p><strong>Well, that's that. Though it is much longer than I planned it to be. This was just going to be a comedy, but somehow I ended up adding in some family vibes with Venti and changed the name. It was supposed to be, "Ever Heard of a Roof?" but the ending made the title seem out of place. Anyhow, I hoped you enjoyed this. I'm kind of iffy on it, but oh well. Of course please review! <strong>


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